coercive
adjective
co·er·cive
kō-ˈər-siv 
: serving or intended to coerce
coercive power
coercive measures
coercively
adverb
coerciveness
noun
Examples of coercive in a Sentence
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Just a year ago, some American intellectuals and policymakers hoped that this system could survive into the indefinite future, so that unilateral U.S. coercive strength and liberal values would continue to go hand in hand.
—
Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
At many public and private companies, relationships between a CEO and another employee are prohibited because they can be viewed as coercive by their very nature.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 19 July 2025
However, even then, many Indigenous workers in rural areas remained subject to coercive labor arrangements well into the second half of the twentieth century.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Despite grievous losses and the humiliation of its rout at the hands of its foremost adversaries, the revolutionary regime retains a coercive grip on power.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025
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Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
At many public and private companies, relationships between a CEO and another employee are prohibited because they can be viewed as coercive by their very nature.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 19 July 2025
However, even then, many Indigenous workers in rural areas remained subject to coercive labor arrangements well into the second half of the twentieth century.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Despite grievous losses and the humiliation of its rout at the hands of its foremost adversaries, the revolutionary regime retains a coercive grip on power.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coercive
Cite this Entry
“Coercive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coercive. Accessed 30 Aug. 2025.
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coercive
adjective
co·er·cive
kō-ˈər-siv
1
: serving or intended to coerce
2
: resulting from coercion
to protect women from coercive intimacy—Kimberle Crenshaw
Kimberle CrenshawLove words? Need even more definitions?
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